Welcome back to your weekly food column Good Taste! Two weeks ago, we offered recommendations for great sandwiches that cost $10 or less, and last week, we identified some of the best places to find $5 food items in San Francisco. Today, we’re sharing local places to go that will feed you for free on your birthday.
Lots of big national restaurant and beverage chains offer birthday freebies if you sign up for a reward program or club, but after spending a few weeks looking for recommendations to offer in the $10 and $5 price ranges, I started wondering if the same is true for any Bay Area food businesses. Turns out that there are some delicious ones that beat those old-school batteries they used to gift Radio Shack customers on their special day.
SUSIECAKES: FREE CAKE SLICE
South Bay YouTuber Feed Meimei made a cute video where she and a friend went to 16 places to get free birthday items, including food, drinks and beauty supplies. Most of the places she visited were national chains such as Denny’s, Baskin Robbins, and Panera Bread, but she revealed two Bay Area-based chains that will treat you when you sign up for rewards programs on their respective apps.
She got a free slice of cake at SusieCakes, and those things are huge. (The classic American bakery has locations in San Francisco, Greenbrae, Menlo Park, San Carlos, San Jose, and Lafayette). Their Funfetti-studded and blue-frosted Vanilla Celebration cake is an obvious choice, but you’re not restricted to it, if you’re more of a Tropical Coconut or Luscious Lemon type.
IKE’S LOVE & SANDWICHES: FREE SANDWICHES
Feed Meimei’s other hot tip in her video is that you can get a free birthday sandwich by enrolling in the rewards program at Ike’s Love and Sandwiches. She notes that the offer includes Ike’s Love and Sandwiches’ Bay Area locations (San Francisco, Daly City, Burlingame, Emeryville, Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Palo Alto, Cupertino, San Jose, and Santa Clara) but excludes Ike’s Place in San Francisco and Ike’s Lair in Redwood City. Who knew there were so many different Ike’s names? If you haven’t had Ike’s lately, or ever, here’s your chance—and you get a lollipop, too.
FREE COFFEE, TEA, AND BOBA DRINKS AT VARIOUS BAY AREA LOCATIONS
StephEatsNTravels posted a video to YouTube with the lowdown on a dozen Bay Area spots where you can get free coffee, tea, and boba drinks on your born day, including the family-owned Coupa Coffee in Palo Alto and Los Altos.
GOAT HILL PIZZA: FREE PIZZA
According to Eater, the three San Francisco locations of Goat Hill Pizza will give you a free sourdough pizza on your birthday if you join Goat Hill Rewards. This is a generous offer that absolutely sounds like the best Bay Area freebie you can score on the glorious anniversary of your birth.
Find more thought for food at Tamara’s site California Eating.
